If there is one thing we see far too often in VR gaming, it has to be short-lived games. More specifically, the vast majority of new VR games has an hour of content or less. For episodic releases, that is not unusual. For every other game, however, it simply isn’t acceptable. Sadly, Codename Phantom classifies as a very short game as well. We finish the game in under 30 minutes without even trying. Codename Phantom is available for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Codename Phantom is an Utter Disappointment

It is very difficult to get even remotely excited about Codename Phantom in its current form. Although the game itself has a very interesting skill-based gameplay, it is also very repetitive and far too short. Top all of this off with mediocre design and you have a game on your hands which will be played once and never touched again. It is another one of those types of games in a growing list of VR titles, unfortunately.

Although there are over 40 missions, none of them are exceptionally challenging or new. The missions can be classified into two categories. Either you kill everyone, or you kill everyone before they shoot the hostage. Once you get through all of these missions -which we did in about 23 minutes and a few seconds – the game is over. Utterly disappointing, to say the least. We did enjoy killing the bad guys, though, but even that gets unbelievably repetitive after the 7th level.

With just three environments to cycle through, the situation isn’t improving as you progress either. Players receive a score based on how accurate they shoot enemies, but it doesn’t matter much in the end. One ability lets you see through walls, but it isn’t a great addition either. While it certainly works, the enemies aren’t even remotely difficult either. Their intelligence is virtually non-existent, which only makes Codename Phantom even more dull to play.

Thankfully, there is a hardcore mode to pose a bit of a challenge. If you get hit once you are dead. It is fun for a few tries, but there are no new enemies or environments, thus you will rehash the same content over and over again. Codename Phantom isn’t even worth picking up right now, but if it ever drops below $2, it can yield a good half hour of fun. There are far better games out there which provide a more memorable experience, that much is certain.

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REVIEW OVERVIEW

Gameplay

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Price

SUMMARY

Forget about picking up Codename Phantom, as the game offers nothing enjoyable or worth paying full price for.